As commonly known, a vehicle typically includes a climate control system which maintains a temperature within a passenger compartment of the vehicle at a comfortable level by providing heating, cooling, and ventilation. Comfort is maintained in the passenger compartment by an integrated mechanism referred to in the art as a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The HVAC system conditions air flowing therethrough and distributes the conditioned air throughout the passenger compartment.
Typically, in operation, a compressor of the HVAC system provides a flow of fluid having a desired temperature to an evaporator disposed in the HVAC system to condition the air. The compressor is generally driven by a fuel-powered engine of the vehicle, such as an internal combustion engine. To enhance fuel efficiency, stop-start engine systems can be employed with vehicles that include an internal combustion engine. In stop-start engine systems, the engine stops operating during vehicle stops or idle mode, such as during a traffic light stop, for example. When the engine stops operating, the compressor of the HVAC system also stops operating. Accordingly, stoppage of the engine stops the operation of the compressor of the HVAC system. The stoppage of the operation of the compressor affects a temperature of the passenger compartment causing thermal discomfort, especially when the ambient temperature is higher.
In order to address thermal discomfort while maintaining efficiency, thermal storage systems are employed to condition the air flowing through the HVAC system when the fuel-powered engine is not in operation. The thermal storage systems may employ a phase change material (PCM) that absorbs heat when the fuel-powered engine is not operating. When the fuel-powered engine is operating, thermal energy is removed from the PCM and the phase change material is charged. Examples of thermal storage systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,513 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,527.
Additionally, coolant circuits of an engine may be employed with an evaporator of the HVAC system to store thermal energy in a thermal energy storage tank. For example, South Korean Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 10-2012-0024187 and South Korean Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 10-2012-0024189 disclose a cold storage system including an evaporator having a cooling water passage for receiving engine cooling water and a thermal energy storage tank in heat exchange communication with the engine cooling water. Furthermore, Japanese Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2004-142551 discloses a thermal energy storage system in which cooling water is received by an evaporator to store thermal energy.
Additionally, a vehicle is commonly known to include turbochargers and superchargers to boost the engine of the vehicle by compressing air prior to being received by cylinders of the engine. When the air is compressed by the turbocharger or supercharger, the air is heated and a pressure of the air is increased. However, it is desirable for the air entering the engine to be cooled after exiting the turbocharger or supercharger because cooler air has an increased density that improves the efficiency of the engine. In certain situations, the cooling of the air may also facilitate engine management and eliminate the possibility of pre-detonation of the air and a fuel prior to a timed spark ignition and militate against excessive wear or heat damage to an engine block of the engine. Water-cooled charge air coolers (WCAC) can be used in the vehicle to cool the air that has been compressed by the turbocharger or supercharger such as described in U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2011/0023518, hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
It is desirable to provide a thermal energy storage system of a vehicle and method of operating the same wherein an effectiveness and efficiency of an HVAC system of the vehicle, an effectiveness and efficiency of a WCAC of the vehicle, and a fuel economy of the vehicle are maximized while minimizing complexity and cost.